An Invitation of Inspiration is a two-part show featuring Visions of Inspirations, a collaborative art project between Matthew Forrest and Kristen Applebee, Art Teacher for The Georgia Academy for the Blind, and a series of prints by Zena Ruiz inspired by engagements at Gardweeno, a garden project which ran from 2014-2017 in North Braddock for youth to design, build, grow, and eat together.

Matt Forrest

Receiving his BFA from Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania in 2005, Forrest also studied at the Poznan Academy of Art in Poland, specializing in offset lithography. In 2008, Forrest received his MFA from West Virginia University with specialized focus in lithography & serigraphy. Forrest has exhibited nationally and internationally, most recently including shows at the Sarah Spurgeon Gallery (Ellensburg, WA) the Janet Turner Print Museum 11th National Print Competition at CSU, in Chico CA and the Wheaton Biennial: Printmaking Reimagined Wheaton College in Norton, MA. Forrest’s research has also been published recently in both print and digital formats including studio visit magazine, and he has been the recipient of several grants to make printmaking more accessible to students with disabilities and to local community centers in Baldwin & Bibb counties. Forrest lives in Gray, GA and works at Georgia College & State University.

Zena Ruiz

Zena Ruiz, an artist specializing in sculpture and printmaking, received her BFA from Carnegie Mellon University in 2011 and has been an advocate for the arts in community. She lives with her family in North Braddock; where she co-founded Gardweeno, a community garden for youth in the neighborhood to design, build, learn, grow, and eat together. Ruiz is currently the Arts in Context Manager at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh and Museum Lab where she collaborates with artists to create unique experiences for visitors and oversees the F.I.N.E. Art Residency, a residency that invites artists to exhibit their work and lead programs that share their artistic practice with the public.